{"id":34831,"date":"2025-10-15T15:19:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T20:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=34831"},"modified":"2025-10-16T07:35:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T12:35:32","slug":"october-walkabout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/?p=34831","title":{"rendered":"October Walkabout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have been lax, I haven’t gone for my several times weekly walks around the area since… well, since I was laid off by Diamond<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, about a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either the weather wasn’t good — unseasonably hot, rainy — or I just didn’t feel like it, like when my arthritis was acting up or the day the roofers were here<\/a>. That day, I actually started on my usual walk, got to the parking lot outside the countertop company<\/a>, and noped right out. Like I said, I just didn’t feel like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, after the nor’easter that dumped rain on me for several days and a job rejection email from Wallace Montgomery<\/a>, I felt I needed a walk to clear my head. Today’s in that weird state where it’s breezy and a little too cool to go without<\/i> a hoodie, but it was also too warm for one. Still, I went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a food truck in my neighborhood! A food truck! In my neighborhood!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sorry, I apologize. I did not expect to see a food truck<\/em> in my neighborhood. I did not stop for a hot dog, but man, knowing that I could<\/em>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A food truck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, carrying on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Clouds<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the unfortunate realities of the world we live in is that people die in tragic ways, and on the walking route I often take I walk past this elaborate roadside memorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Roadside<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This memorial was set up three or four years ago, and as you can see from the decorations — the pumpkin, the autumn wreath, the Halloween-themed gnome affixed to the tree — not to mention the bench for contemplation, this site is maintained by loved ones on a regular basis. I’ve driven by — it was on the route I took to go to work, or just to go to York — while people were working there, pulling weeds or leaving plants. I don’t know who the person was or how they died, but they were clearly loved and missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was a little brighter — and a little warmer — when I reached the cemetery in Dallastown. I didn’t feel winded and tired as I sometimes do when I reach this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I met two men walking their dogs along the way. One indicated through hand signals I should give his dogs a wide berth, I did, and he shouted from across the street that he was sorry but they were excitable. I didn’t mind, as I needed to cross the street the other way. The dog I met later in the cemetery was wearing a pumpkin bandana, and she was lovely but also excitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A new business in town! I’ve not heard of them, but they apparently open tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I moved here, this had been a bakery. I say “had,” because I’m not sure they were ever open, though there was a giant “Grand Opening” banner than hung for years. Another business came and went, and I don’t think I knew that it “came” until after it had “went.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope this works out for them. I’ll have to check out the menu sometime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were signs on Main Street for tomorrow’s Halloween parade. I’ve never been to Dallastown’s Halloween parade. I’ve heard<\/em> it — sound carries fantastically well here, I can even hear the sound of football games at the high school — but I’ve never gone to see it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, I’m not seriously thinking about going to the Halloween parade. I haven’t been the Memorial Day parade in years, and I even stopped going to the Christmas tree lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The old Glatfelter Furniture building has been rehabbed into luxury apartments. When this building was for sale a year or two ago, I thought it would be fun to buy if I had the money, much like my thoughts the other day of the abandoned Lutheran church<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I had more specific thoughts about this building and what I would do with it — Diamond, especially post-2020, could have used a York area satellite office given how many employees lived up this way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nearing home, the skies were clearer than when I had started, and I was sweaty in the sun. My energy held out, stamina was good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of the kids in my complex smashed a slug on the sidewalk outside my apartment as I was walking up to it. They smashed it good. Poor slug, minding its own business, then smash!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a good walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I did not lose this game of backgammon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I could have doubled at this point and there would have been a 1000% chance that the computer would have resigned if I had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think I kept white bottled up for four moves. This was a satisfying win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have been lax, I haven’t gone for my several times weekly walks around the area since… well, since I was laid off by Diamond. So, about a month. Either the weather wasn’t good — unseasonably hot, rainy — or I just didn’t feel like it, like when my arthritis was acting up or theContinue reading “October Walkabout”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[3968,3921],"class_list":["post-34831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-dallastown","tag-pennsylvania","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34831\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.allyngibson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}